A haunting past: A photographic look at some of Utah's ghost towns

Throughout Utah's history, towns were settled, developed and grew. With the depletion of minerals, changing economic times, disaster and drought, however, some of these same towns were soon abandoned and left to the dust of time.

In honor of Mary Shelley — the author of "Frankenstein" — on her birthday (aka. Frankenstein Day), here's an updated photographic look at some of Utah's many ghost towns, along with a few in California, Nevada and New Mexico.

Eagle City, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows a cabin at the site of Eagle City in the Henry Mountains, Utah. Eagle City was a small mining camp in the 1880s for the Bromide Basin mining area. It was abandoned by 1900.

Eagle City, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows a mining camp in the Henry Mountains in Wayne County where Jack Sumner discovered gold bromide in the 1870s and Eagle City was established in the 1880s. It was abandoned by 1900.

Eagle City, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows a spring in the Bromide Gulch in the foothills of the Henry Mountains. Eagle City was a small mining camp in the 1880s for the Bromide Basin mining area. It was abandoned by 1900 and is now a ghost town.

Frisco, Utah

Grant Olsen

These iconic beehive kilns are in the ghost town of Frisco.

Giles, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows an old roadhouse built by a Mr. Abbott in the town of Giles, a farming community that gave way to relentless droughts.

Giles, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows an old roadhouse built by a Mr. Abbott in the town of Giles, a farming community that gave way to relentless droughts. The town was abandoned in 1919.

Gold Hill, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

The Goodwin Mercantile Company building at Gold Hill, an abandoned mining town, is shown in this historic photo.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News archives

A Gold Hill slot machine shell is examined by a visitor.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News archives

Weathered signs indicating where the streets of Gold Hill once crossed stand as a reminder of a bygone era.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News archives

On Gold Hill's Main Street, right, stand forgotten stores. The boom town, on the western Utah border, boasted 3,000 people in its heyday.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News archives

This 1989 photo shows the Utah ghost town of Gold Hill.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News archives

Gold Hill's ex-mercantile store stands intact but vacant.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News archives

This 1961 photo shows the remains of Gold Hill, a ghost town in Utah.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News Archives

A seldom seen USGS marker still is planted in the ground near Gold Hill, Utah. September, 1989.

This old and falling down mercantile store in Gold Hill is seen September 1989.

Gold Hill, Utah

Deseret News Archives

A store front in Gold Hill, Utah. This ghost town announces the city name with a symbol of west.

Grafton, Utah

Grant Olsen

This stone church is one of the highlights of Grafton, a ghost town near Zion National Park.

Grafton, Utah

Grant Olsen

One of the homes in Grafton, a ghost town near Zion National Park.

Grafton, Utah

Grant Olsen

The view from this old home shows the rugged setting of Grafton, a ghost town located near Zion National Park.

Hiawatha, Utah

Chuck Wing, Deseret News

The bath house in Hiawatha, an old coal-mining town that is now shut down.

Hiawatha, Utah

Chuck Wing, Deseret News

In Hiawatha, an old coal-mine sits abandoned in a town that is now shut down.

Hiawatha, Utah

Chuck Wing, Deseret News

Dan Miller, left, and Wally Baldwin, right, walk near an old school in Hiawatha, an old coal-mining town that is now shut down. Miller and Baldwin, right, both grew-up in Hiawatha.

Hiawatha, Utah

Chuck Wing, Deseret News

Dan Miller, looks through papers inside the old Hiawatha post office Hiawatha, an old coal-mining town that is now shut down. MIller and Baldwin, right, both grew-up in Hiawatha.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News Archives

When towns are abandoned their mile post markers become targets for visitors with guns. Kelton, Utah, April, 1951.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News Archives

The stage brush and weeds are one of the few living things that populate the area at Kelton, Utah, April, 1951.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News archives

This old railroad milepost is a reminder of Kelton's past.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News archives

This small cemetery is part of all that remains of Kelton, now a Utah ghost town.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News Archives

A bridge leading out of Kelton, Utah, one of our state's many ghost towns, April, 1951. The town was abandoned in 1943.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News Archives

The Western Union office was locked up and had not been in service for many years in Kelton, Utah. This photo was taken in April of 1951. The town was abandoned in 1943.

Kelton, Utah

Deseret News Archives

Few buildings still standing in Kelton, Utah. Kelton was once a small railroad stop, April, 1951.

La Plata, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Located near Paradise in the Bear River Mountains, La Plata was the 1891 mining site of silver ore.

Latuda, Utah

Deseret News archives

This photo shows the remains of the ghost town of Latuda, in Carbon County The town died when the Liberty mine was closed, and the homes were razed or deserted.

Latuda, Utah

Deseret News archives

This 1966 archive photo shows the Liberty Coal Mine tipple in the ghost town of Latuda, Utah, in Carbon County.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of Irontown, an early mining settlement. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of a coke oven in Irontown. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

The ruins of kilns and furnaces built by Union Iron Works are seen among the remnants of Old Irontown, or Iron City, on Pinto Creek.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of Irontown, probably the Blast Furnace and Molding Shop. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of Irontown, probably the Blast Furnace and Molding Shop. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

The remains of Irontown, an early mining settlement.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of Irontown, an early mining settlement. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows remnants of Old Irontown, or Iron City, on Pinto Creek, southeast of Cedar City. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows remnants of Old Irontown, or Iron City, on Pinto Creek, southeast of Cedar City.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore. The venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This monument to early settlers stands among the remnants of Old Irontown, or Iron City, on Pinto Creek, southeast of Cedar City. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of Irontown, with the sign labeling the spot as the location for the Blast Furnace and Molding Shop.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Remains of Irontown, an early mining settlement. Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s but later became Utah's first ghost town.

Old Irontown, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Old Irontown was settled in the 1850s for the purpose of mining iron ore, however, the venture quickly proved unsuccessful and Old Irontown became Utah's first ghost town.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

In this 1974 photo, two girls explore an old railway coach in Ophir, Utah.

Ophir, Utah

Associated Press

Built in 1870, the combination city hall and firehouse is still decorated Sunday, July 26, 1998, after Pioneer Day festivities in Ophir, Utah. During its heyday, Ophir had drugstores, general stores, theaters, two schools and a post office. Today, only a few people reside there.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

This 1961 photo shows the houses that were once part of the $31 million past at Ophir.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

At the time this photo was taken in 1975 Ophir, Utah, was a "living ghost town." This building was constructed in 1870.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

These tracks in Ophir, Utah, are a reminder of what was once a booming railroad town.

Ophir, Utah

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

This 1999 photo shows the remains of the abandoned Ophir Hill Mine in Ophir, Utah. At the time, the town had a population of 17.

Ophir, Utah

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

This 1999 photo shows the remains of Ophir, Utah. At the time, the town had a population of 17.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

Deserted businesses stand as silent witnesses of the 100-year history of Ophir, Utah.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

This school building in the town of Ophir, Utah, was abandoned along with the town.

Ophir, Utah

Deseret News archives

Tracks, left, and an old air compressor remain as visible reminders of the once-thriving Ophir, named from the Bible.

Osiris, Utah

Grant Olsen

The Osiris creamery is located in Black Canyon, near Bryce Canyon National Park.

Osiris, Utah

Grant Olsen

The Osiris creamery is located in Black Canyon, near Bryce Canyon National Park.

Osiris, Utah

Grant Olsen

The Osiris creamery is located in Black Canyon, near Bryce Canyon National Park.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria. Settled in 1865, the town was plagued by flood problems that eventually drove away settlers. Paria has a claim to fame, however, because of the number of western movies filmed in the area.

Paria, Utah

Deseret News archives

Old, rustic cabins and gnarled trees are all that's left in Paria, a Utah ghost town.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria. Settled in 1865, the town was plagued by flood problems that eventually drove away settlers.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria. Settled in 1865, the town was plagued by flood problems that eventually drove away settlers. Paria has a claim to fame, however, because of the number of western movies filmed in the area.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria. Settled in 1865, the town was plagued by flood problems that eventually drove away settlers.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria. Settled in 1865, the town was plagued by flood problems that eventually drove away settlers. Paria has a claim to fame, however, because of the number of western movies filmed in the area.

Paria, Utah

Deseret News archives

Pioneer homes, including this one with a slightly close overview of the dry Paria River, are found in Paria, Utah.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Abandoned homes at the ghost town of Paria. Settled in 1865, the town was plagued by flood problems that eventually drove away settlers.

Paria, Utah

Deseret News archives

A home in Paria, Utah, sits quietly, abandoned.

Paria, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

An abandoned home at the ghost town of Paria.

Richville, Utah

Deseret News archives

This photo, taken in 1975, shows a building in Richville, listed in a 1975 Deseret News article as "Utah's oldest and most picturesque ghost town."

Richville, Utah

Deseret News archives

This machinery comes from the town of Richville, which (as of 1975) was considered Utah's oldest and most picturesque ghost town. The town is also known as Mills Junction.

Sego, Utah

Lee Benson

The roof is gone, but the stone walls of the American Fuel Company's company store remain in the ghost town of Sego.

Sego, Utah

Deseret News archives

Few signs of the ghost town Sego remain, as the cactus plants reclaim the area.

Sego, Utah

Lee Benson, Deseret News

Over 200 people once lived in Sego, Utah; today, just one structure, the old coal company store, is still standing.

Sego, Utah

Deseret News archives

Sego's boarding house for single men was full of life in the town's coal mining heyday.

Sego, Utah

Lee Benson, Deseret News

Coal miners lived in dugouts like this when Sego, Grand County, thrived.

Sego, Utah

Lee Benson, Deseret News

The roof is gone, but the stone walls of the American Fuel Company's company store remain in the ghost town of Sego.

Silver Reef, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

The old Wells Fargo Building, in the ghost town of Silver Reef, Utah.

Silver Reef, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Stone remains of an abandoned building at Silver Reef, Utah. The town was settled in 1866 and soon silver was discovered in a sandstone ledge. The town was later abandoned permanently after the silver ran out.

Silver Reef, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

Abandoned and run down building at Silver Reef, Utah. Settled in 1866, silver was soon discovered in a sandstone ledge. By the 1880s the reef was mined out and the town abandoned.

Silver Reef, Utah

Utah State Historical Society

This photo shows the Wells Fargo station at Leeds.

Thistle, Utah

Deseret News archives

This building, largely under water, is a remnant of what used to be the town of Thistle.

West Dip, Utah

Associated Press

A peculiarly-shaped concrete ruin of a mine operation is about all that remains of West Dip, Utah, Sunday, July 26, 1998. The gold mining location between the towns of Ophir and Mercur in Utah consisted of mine buildings and many houses, including a schoolhouse and church. Settled in 1895, the mill was destroyed by fire in 1917 and was not rebuilt.

Widtsoe, Utah

Mary Finch

This photo shows scenes from the Utah ghost town of Widtsoe.

Widtsoe, Utah

Deseret News archives

This 1987 photo shows the ghost town of Widtsoe — or what remains of it. At the time the photo was taken, the small schoolhouse seen here was the only building that had not been razed.

Widtsoe, Utah

Deseret News Archives

This structure in Widtsoe, Utah, a ghost town, has totally fallen to the ground.

Widstoe, Utah

Deseret News Archives

In 1987, at least, you could still find few standing buildings in Widtsoe, Utah, but time and the elements take their toll.

Widtsoe, Utah

Deseret News Archives

The abandon cemetery of Widtsoe, Utah this photo was taken in August of 1978. In the photo's center is the marker of the Kimball family whose members left this world around the turn of the century.

Widtsoe, Utah

Deseret News Archives

The town of Widtsoe's abandoned cemetery, seen here in 1947, was where many of its residences found their last resting place.

Widtsoe, Utah

Deseret News Archives

An home in disrepair in Widtsoe, Utah in August of 1987.

Widtsoe, Utah

Grant Olsen

This schoolhouse is located in the remote ghost town of Widtsoe, near Bryce Canyon National Park.

Woodside, Utah

Geoff Liesik, Deseret News

The headstone of 14-year-old William E. Randall stands in the Woodside Cemetery.

Woodside, Utah

Geoff Liesik, Deseret News

Two "free-range" llamas are the sole remaining inhabitants of Woodside, Utah, a ghost town in Emery County.

Woodside, Utah

Geoff Liesik, Deseret News

The sign may say it's open, but the gas station in Woodside, Utah, has been closed for decades. The town has been considered a ghost town since the 1970s.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

The rusty remains of old automobiles, and weather-beaten buildings remind visitors to the area that Bodie, California on Nov. 19, 1985, was once a thriving community.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

Methodist Church in Bodie, California on June 25, 1959. The weathered, wood is pine hut looks like redwood with a dash of yellow. Strangely, the interior of the building is one of the few which tourists have defaced. Because of the high altitude and lack of moisture, wood lasts well despite lack of paint.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

In its heyday on June 25, 1959 in Bodie, California, was a rip-roaring, wide-open mining town. From the earth, men took 100 million dollars in gold and silver-and at its height, in 1978 the town had a population of 10,000. Now are only 75 buildings left and Bodie in just a western ghost. Here is all that remains of its main street. At left is a solid brick saloon and next to it, the Miners Union Hall

Bodie, California

Associated Press

Fire station of the department that must have been the most inefficient in the history of the West. Bodie suffered three very serious fires. Bob Ward (Air line pilot), left, and Stanley Horne (rail road engineer) stand with an old horse cart in Bodie, CA on June 25, 1959. Note the bell is missing. It was stolen, retrieved from San Diego 600 mile away and now rests under lock and key.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

Through a window of the long deserted schoolhouse, the old gold stamping mill stands below an abandoned mine in the ghost town of Bodie, California on March 1, 1963.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

This housed the first electric mine hoist in history. Bodie had the first hydroelectric plant in Bodie, California on June 25, 1959. At the top of the crumbling mine shaft can be seen the remains of a stone spillway that once housed a Cornish pump. Cousin did the stone work before Bodie had cement.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

E.W. Billed and Bob Ward stand by an abandoned ore cart at Bodie, California on June 25, 1959. The casts were used to haul ore from mines to stamping mills where gold and silver was extracted.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

High noon in Bodie, California on March 1, 1963, finds two youngsters acting out a famous movie scene in the grass-grown street of the abandoned gold mining town, now a state monument.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

The Red Cloud mine at Bodie, California on June 25, 1959, over the hoist of which came more than 4 million dollars in ore. Note the chimney is tilting over and probably will go down in the next big wind.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

Top of the Red Cloud mine at Bodie, California on June 25, 1959, with E.W. Billeb, who once was superintendent of a lumber railroad serving Bodie, standing on an abandoned steam hoist that was hauled in from San Francisco before being replaced with an electric hoist. Red cloud produced more than 4 million dollars worth of ore.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

The Swazey Hotel at Bodie State Historical Park, Calif., stands Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1998, as a warped reminder of a thriving wild west town. In 1879, Bodie boasted a population of 10,000 and was second to none for wickedness, badmen, and 'the worst climate out of doors.' One little girl, whose family was taking her to the remote and infamous town, wrote in her diary: 'Goodbye God, I'm going to Bodie.'

Bodie, California

Associated Press

Jack Evans Jr., 7, plays in the old jail in Bodie, California on March 1, 1963.

Bodie, California

Associated Press

View of the 75 buildings remaining in Bodie from a nearby hill in Bodie, California on June 25, 1959, which are the ghost city’s three cemeteries.

Belmont, Nevada

Associated Press

This photo provided by Bob Conrad shows the old Nye County courthouse in ghost town of Belmont, Nev.

Goldfield, Nevada

Associated Press

Some 50 miles from Scotty's Castle is almost a ghost town in Goldfield, Nev. on Nov. 8, 1957. In the roaring days of its mining boom, it was the scene of phenomenal drinking and gambling exploits on Walter Scott's part. An estimated billion dollars in gold and silver has been mined in a 50-mile radius of Scotty's place, but the pay loads are now virtually exhausted.

Gold Point, Nevada

Associated Press

The sun sets over a mining cabin on the edge of town in Gold Point, Nev., Tuesday, June 13, 2000.

Rhyolite, Nevada

Associated Press

This January 2014 photo shows an old building in Rhyolite, Nev, a ghost town located northeast of Death Valley National Park. Rhyolite was established in 1905 during the Gold Rush, quickly boomed and fell apart after the mine closed in 1911. It's now one of the most photogenic ghost towns of the Southwest because of the decrepit buildings and rocky landscape.

Rhyolite, Nevada

Associated Press

This January 2014 photo shows decrepit buildings in Rhyolite, Nev., a ghost town located northeast of Death Valley National Park. Rhyolite was established in 1905 during the Gold Rush, quickly boomed and fell apart after the mine closed in 1911. It's now one of the most photogenic ghost towns of the Southwest because of the abandoned buildings and rocky landscape.

Rhyolite, Nevada

Associated Press

The ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada, is near Death Valley, just across the border in California, Feb. 4, 1964. The ruin in the foreground was once a bank, when borax and ores were mined in the area. When they petered out the town was doomed.

Rhyolite, Nevada

Associated Press

Rhyolite, Nev. boasted a population of 18,000 and was the biggest city in Nevada in its heydey in1909. It's now a ghost town

Lake Valley, New Mexico

Associated Press

An uninhabited house in the ghost town of Lake Valley, N.M. is shown in this April 16, 2008 photo. Ghost towns are prevalent in the West and Florida with 100 to more than 200 per state, but even states in the Midwest and several Eastern states have between 10 to 100 ghost towns apiece.

Lake Valley, New Mexico

Associated Press

Monument Peak, which some old-timers call Lizard Mountain, looms over what's left of the ghost town of Lake Valley in southern New Mexico on April 16, 2008. Ghost towns are prevalent in the West and Florida with 100 to more than 200 per state, but even states in the Midwest and several Eastern states have between 10 to 100 ghost towns apiece.

Lake Valley, New Mexico

Associated Press

A Conoco gas station that sits near the entrance to Lake Valley, N.M. is shown on April 16, 2008. Ghost towns are prevalent in the West and Florida with 100 to more than 200 per state, but even states in the Midwest and several Eastern states have between 10 to 100 ghost towns apiece.